Overview
Research Interests
Cognitive development, causal learning, social cognition, moral cognition, theory of mind, cultural psychology, free will, counterfactual thinking, imagination, self-control, rational constructivist approaches to learning and development
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
·
2021 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Chair of Psychology and Neuroscience
·
2024 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Philosophy
·
2021 - Present
Philosophy,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
·
2022 - Present
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences,
University Institutes and Centers
Recent Publications
Children's cost-benefit analysis about agents who act for the greater good.
Journal Article Cognition · March 2025 Acting for the greater good often involves paying a personal cost to benefit the collective. In two studies, we investigate how children (N = 184, Mage = 8.02 years, SD = 1.15, Range = 6.00-9.99 years) use information about costs and consequence ... Full text CiteSeeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Children Appreciate Reasoners Who Approach Moral Dilemmas With Humility.
Journal Article Developmental science · January 2025 Moral decisions often involve dilemmas: cases of conflict between competing obligations. In two studies (N = 204), we ask whether children appreciate that reasoning through dilemmas involves acknowledging that there is no single, simple solution. In Study ... Full text CiteSchool-age children are more skeptical of inaccurate robots than adults.
Journal Article Cognition · August 2024 We expect children to learn new words, skills, and ideas from various technologies. When learning from humans, children prefer people who are reliable and trustworthy, yet children also forgive people's occasional mistakes. Are the dynamics of children lea ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Humilities Across Cultures: Do Children in China and the U.S. Value Intellectual Humility for Moral and Epistemic Beliefs?
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by John Templeton Foundation · 2024 - 2026The Impact of Gossip on Children's Feelings of Belongingness
FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2026Religion, Normativity, and Self-regulation
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of California - Riverside · 2020 - 2025View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of California, Berkeley ·
2005
Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley ·
2004
M.A.
Barnard College ·
1996
B.A.